Orthopedics This Week (OTW) reports Michael L. Parks, MD, Clinical Director of Orthopedic Surgery at HSS was honored with the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2019 Diversity Award. 

OTW spoke to Dr. Parks about the significance of being a recipient of this award, who noted, "I am honored to be recognized by the AAOS. In order to provide care for an ever-increasing diverse population, we must understand their needs. The diversity of our faces helps with this understanding and ultimately our ability to provide excellent care for the patients we serve." Dr. Parks shared, "My dad’s inaction in the face of progressive knee osteoarthritis lead to my initial interest in disparities research. I watched his pain increase and mobility decrease yet he refused to consider surgical treatment. After many years, he did eventually relent and lived the remainder of his life pain free with unlimited mobility. In my own care of patients, I also observed many black and Hispanic patients with severe osteoarthritis who also refused to consider joint replacement."

Dr. Parks also disclosed, "In our first study we tried to understand how minority patients went about the process to consider joint replacement. Since then we have sought to further understand other factors including poverty, education and language proficiency and their direct effect on disparities in utilization and outcomes."

Read the full article at ryortho.com.